Heartbeat: New heart disease technology continues to transform patient care

May 20, 2019

A non-invasive test to help diagnose and treat coronary heart disease (CHD) continues to go from strength to strength.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) leads to over 66,000 deaths in the UK and those living in Sandwell and West Birmingham are three times more likely to die from CHD than patients in London.

CHD develops when the arteries leading to the heart narrow or become blocked, which can reduce blood flow and cause chest pain and heart attacks. Typically, an invasive angiogram was used to diagnose CHD but SWB has become a pioneer in utilising effective and safe deep learning software, developed by the US health technology company HeartFlow. Using AI technology, HeartFlow Analysis is a non-invasive test that provides a digital 3D model of the arteries.

Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Dr Connolly explains: “HeartFlow Analysis is changing diagnosis for patients, meaning that in some cases, operations can be avoided. Having used the test with 100 patients, I found that 70 per cent didn’t require any follow up invasive testing. This leads to less risk, which is beneficial for the patient and represents considerable cost savings for our organisation.

“The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has suggested that HeartFlow could save the NHS approximately £9.1 million per year or £214 per patient.

“It also means that less time is taken to carry out diagnostic angiograms that ultimately don’t lead to patients’ even requiring stents or bypass surgery. We rely on CT scans and HeartFlow instead.”

Dr Connolly continues: “Also, the CT scanner that we have utilised extensively over the past ten years will have taken 2,500 scans this year. The Trust are investing in two further CT scanners which we will have by the end of the year, in recognition of the importance of access to non-invasive ways of diagnosing heart disease; one of the biggest and most fatal health conditions we are tackling in our region.”

As one of the first Trust’s to adopt HeartFlow, which is now available in 39 hospitals throughout the country, the UK are ahead of the curve when compared to the US or Europe in regards to quickly and accurately diagnosing and treating patients with coronary heart disease.

Derek concludes: “The future for the technology is bright too. There is potential to use machine learning to insert coronary stents virtually. These are tube shaped devices placed in the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart, to keep the arteries open in the treatment of CHD. We would be able to view the impact on blood flow virtually before actual insertion; representing a major advance in the treatment of CHD.”